MBSS Site Summary for: PISC-102-B-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-102-B-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-102-B-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Dower House Branch in the Piscataway Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/3/2007 and again in the summer on 7/11/2007.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 190 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 9.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 2 %
Forested Land Use 86.1 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 1/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 1/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 2/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 70 meters 		2/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 45 %
Embeddedness 0 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.02
Conductivity 327 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		52.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.7681 mg/L

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
No Fish Observed 0
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No Exotic Plants Observed
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 44
Naididae Aquatic Worm 43
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 16
Tipula Crane Fly 5
Lumbriculidae Worm 4
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 2
Agabus Predatory Aquatic Beetle 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Limonia 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Synurella Amphipod 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.